NEW DELHI, September 10, 2026 – Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday, September 12, on the margins of the BRICS Summit in New Delhi. The meeting marks President Xi’s first visit to India in nearly seven years, coming at a time when both New Delhi and Beijing are working towards renewing their ties after years of strain caused by border tensions.
1.First Visit in Seven Years:
The upcoming meeting holds significant diplomatic weight, as Xi last traveled to India in 2019, months before the start of a military face-off in Ladakh that lasted more than four years and took bilateral ties to a six-decade low. The bilateral discussions, to be held on the main day of the BRICS Summit, will provide a chance for the two leaders to assess the ongoing process to normalize India-China relations and to address the dragging border dispute.
2.Confidence Building and Persisting Hurdles:
The meeting follows a range of measures unveiled to normalize ties and build confidence when Modi and Xi met in October 2024, soon after India and China reached an understanding on ending the standoff in Ladakh. Since then, the two sides have resumed direct flights, revived the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, and started border trade through three designated routes. However, differences continue to persist on a range of issues, including China’s restrictions on visas for Indian businessmen and Beijing’s curbs on exports of key technologies and equipment. The upcoming meeting will also be an opportunity to take up issues such as reports of fresh tensions between Indian and Chinese troops at Taksing in Arunachal Pradesh.
3.Additional High-Level Engagements:
Beyond the critical talks with the Chinese President, Prime Minister Modi’s diplomatic calendar includes other crucial engagements. On Friday, Modi is expected to hold bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. These bilateral meetings will be opportunities for the leaders to take stock of bilateral relations and discuss a range of global issues, especially the war in Ukraine and the West Asia conflict.
The Modi-Xi bilateral meet is expected to be the most closely watched event of the summit as India continues to maintain that the state of the border will determine the course of bilateral ties.
Published by True Roots Media Network